The Tree is Lit!

Winter's Eve was a huge success, there was a crowd in the five-figures, 60s-nostalgia as Arlo Guthrie performed with his entire extended family on stage, and huge cheers as the tree was finally lit. The bright red ornaments could be seen for blocks and blocks, and I used them to find the tree when we first arrived.

I was skeptical at first about the number of people that would come to the event, since I had never been to a New York tree lighting, but the crowds proved me wrong. It was a fantastic night, and so many family and friends came for support, which I am so thankful for.

Nothing says "Christmas" like a 60-degree night, and it was too hot to even wear sweaters. The tree came out perfectly, and if you are in New York, you should definitely stop by Lincoln Square to take a look. Use the bright red ornaments as a guide.

The moment the tree was lit: confetti, a brass band, and cheers from thousands of people:

Family in front of the tree!

Then we walked over to the American Folk Art museum on 9th Ave, just a few blocks from the big tree, where they are selling the ornaments. There is a beautiful 7-foot white tree in the window, showcasing the ornaments.

All in all, a huge success! I've already restocked the ornaments once, and you can buy them online right here. Thanks to everyone who came out to the tree lighting, and to everyone involved in this project that made it such a huge success. And of course to my brother Charles, who helped take pictures of the event (half of the photos above were taken by him). If you are in New York, I hope you get a chance to see the tree!

Winter's Eve Tonight!

The tree is up, the ornaments are hung, and the Lincoln Square tree lighting is tonight! Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square kicks off at 5:30, at 63rd and Broadway in NYC. I would love to see you there if you are in the area! I haven't seen the tree in person yet, but I've seen photos and I think it came out perfectly. Doesn't the red and white pattern pop off the green tree?

You can buy the smaller version in the shop right here. I hope to see some of you there!

Photo by Karen Lukas

The Ornaments are Ready!

After a year of planning, months of printing and days of tagging and packaging, the ornaments are finally ready! They shipped up to New York yesterday to be put on the tree, and a limited number of the remaining ornaments are now up in the shop if you would like to get one for your own tree!

A new print made specifically for the ornaments:

The tree lighting is in two weeks, and if you are in the New York area and would like to come, you can see the tree lighting information here. The large ornaments are being displayed on the Lincoln Square tree, and the small ones will be sold exclusively through the American Folk Art Museum in New York, with a limited number being sold through my shop.

All tagged and ready to go:

Off to New York!

I hope some of you can make it to the tree lighting, and I'll be posting plenty of pictures of the finished tree in two weeks!

Printing Ornaments

The ornaments are almost ready! The tree at Lincoln Square goes up in two weeks, and I have been working around the clock to get the ornaments finished. In the planning stages, it seemed reasonable to do two coats of paint, a block print, and a coat of polyurethane on each side but as with most projects, it is a lot more difficult to execute than it is to plan.

The biggest obstacle is the drying time, since each print takes two days to dry. I've been doing them in cycles, painting batches, printing them, flipping them and starting again. This is what we have been stepping over for the last few weeks:

I am so happy with the finished ornaments, they look beautiful, and I love seeing the block prints on something thicker than paper or fabric. They will be shipping out next week, and I'll be posting some in the shop then too, so you can get your ornaments before the tree is up!

Also, for anyone who is in the New York area, the tree lighting ceremony is on Monday, November 28th, at 5:30 pm and is open to the public! You can see more information about the event here and I hope to see some of you there!

Now back to printing...

Christmas in New York!

I have some exciting news to announce today: this Christmas, I will be creating the ornaments for the Lincoln Square Christmas tree in New York! It will be a collaboration with Folk Arts Rajasthan, an organization run by my dear friend, and together we will be decorating the entire enormous tree.

This is such a huge project and I'm so excited to be working on it. If you are in New York, the tree lighting is in Dante Park in Lincoln Square on November 28th, so come by and say hello!

I have around 350 ornaments to paint, print and varnish in the next three weeks, so even though it isn't even Halloween yet, I am in full Christmas production mode.

The ornaments are wooden, and each one is block printed with a design (some that you've seen before, some that will be new), and varnished to stand up to the elements all winter. I am making two sizes: one the size of a dinner plate that will be on the actual Lincoln Square tree, and a smaller 4" version that will be sold through in my shop as well as through the American Folk Art Museum shop. 10% of all the profits from this project will go to Folk Arts Rajasthan to support their programs in Jaisalmer, India. You can read more about the work they do on their website.

This is what the floor of my apartment will look like for the next few weeks, it turns out that painting 350 ornaments takes up a lot of space. A huge thank you to my amazing intern Kelly for doing this coat of paint!

I am so excited to be able to share this news with you today! I have already been working on this project all summer, and it is finally getting close enough to share. So save the date and come to the Christmas tree lighting on November 28th!

Tree photo via here